This article is part of the supplement: 15th Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PreS) Congress .

Poster presentation

Role of Vγ9Vδ2+ γδ T cells in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

M Gerstein¹, A Bendersky², S Padeh¹, I Bank² and Y Berkun¹

¹  Safra Children's Hospital at SHEBA Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

²  Laboratory for Immunoregulation, Tel Aviv, Israel

corresponding author email

from 15^th Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PreS) Congress
London, UK. 14–17 September 2008

Pediatric Rheumatology 2008, 6(Suppl 1):P8doi:10.1186/1546-0096-6-S1-P8

The electronic version of this abstract is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.ped-rheum.com/content/6/S1/P8

Published:

15 September 2008

© 2008 Gerstein et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Introduction

T cells (TC) bearing Vγ9Vδ2+ γδ TC receptor (TCR), are a subset of innate CD4-CD8- TC pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory TC recognizing non-peptidic phosphorylated mediator isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) in the mevalonate pathway. The role Vγ9Vδ2+ TC has never been explored in JIA joints.

Patients and methods

Mononuclear cells (MC) isolated from synovial fluids (SF) of 47 patients with monoarticular (M, n = 11), pauciarticular (P, n = 19), extended (E, n = 5), polyarticular (Po, n = 2), systemic (S, n = 4), psoriatic (Ps, n = 4), enthesitis related (Sp, n = 2) JIA were dually stained with monoclonal antibodies to CD3 and variable (V) regions of the γδ TCR. Flow cytometry of fresh SFMC and following in vitro 10 days stimulation with 0.5 mg/ml IPP plus 100 IU/ml interleukin-2 (IL-2) was performed.

Results

Vγ9Vδ2+TC constituted 6.8 ± 1.3%, 6.4 ± 0.9%, 4.6 ± 1.0%, 3.8 ± 3.6%, 5.6 ± 1.6%, 6.1 ± 0.1% and 1.3 ± 0.8% of the SF CD3+cells in the M, P, E, Po, Ps, Sp and S JIA types respectively, and were significantly higher in ANA+ (n = 19) than ANA- (n = 22) patients (7.8 ± 0.9% vs 4.1 ± 0.6% p < 0.004, Student T test). IPP and IL-2 activated SFMC showed a greater expansion of Vγ9Vδ2+ TC of ANA+ (n = 12) than ANA- (n = 18) patients (61.2 ± 17.1% vs 31.7 ± 7.6%, p < 0.005) and of patients with M or P (n = 11) relative to S, E or Po (n = 6) JIA (44.9 ± 10.9 vs 16.2 ± 10.5 p < 0.02).

Conclusion

SF Vγ9Vδ2+ TC responses are stronger in M and P than in E, Po, and S JIA and in ANA+ than – patients, suggesting that a potent Vγ9Vδ2+ TC response may augment acute inflammation while limiting progression to chronic and destructive arthritis.

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